Sun Butter in place of peanut butter?

[Laura & Chewie]

I know peanut butter is very popular to use in kongs. My granddaughter is highly allergic, so I don't even keep it in the house anymore. However, we have discovered Sun Butter (it's made from sunflower seeds) and it is delicious. It actually smells like, looks like and tastes quite a bit like p-nut butter. The nutritional info is almost identical.

So, my obvious question...would it be okay to substitute it as a kong ingredient for my 10 wk old puppy?

TIA!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sunflower seeds & oil are coming up lot here today! Just this a.m., we had a question about sunflower oil in dog food, which led to a discussion of Omega 3 & 6 fatty acid ratios in dog's diets.
The nutritional info between the two butters may be almost identical in terms of calories, fat, protein, etc., but there are some big differences in terms of minerals & fatty acid content. Sunflower butter would not be great in any quantity, unless you are sure the dog is getting sufficient Omega 3 fatty acids from salmon or fish oil in their diet. Peanut butter isn't terrific in the fatty acid ratio department, either. I personally wouldn't be giving much of either to a 10 wk. old puppy.
I have never used kongs (none of my dogs liked them) or any kind of food stuffed toys for my dogs, but I know a lot of people put kibble in kongs, or other small solid foods. Some people also use cheese, and there are treats you can buy that are specifically made for kongs. That seems a lot healthier to me than nut or seed butters personally, especially since you want to encourage appropriate chewing for a puppy, rather than licking.

[Adina P]

Funny thing with kongs...NONE of my dogs chew on kongs. They will use kongs with stuff in them and they will lick and suck and do what it takes to get a treat or spread out of there...but they pretty much ignore them outside of the times I've stuffed them. So I've always thought it was so strange that they are marketed as a 'chew toy'. On the other hand nylabones and real bones have always been a favorite at my house.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

My GSD fosters loved kongs...without any stuffing, lol. But they played with them like balls, didn't chew on them. I never understood that, either.

[Adina P]

Unless there is some data that dogs are allergic to sunflower oil (worth doing a google search) I would imagine it's just as acceptable as peanut butter. BUT I'd start off with very small quantities to be sure it doesn't cause any gastrointestinal upset.

Also one thing my dogs LOVED in Kongs was low fat vanilla yogurt. Since it's runny, what I did (learned it on some forum!) was fill the Kong quickly and then add a dollup of nut butter on top and FREEZE it. Once the yogurt was frozen it was a wonderful treat that took some time to eat up and also healthy =) Don't get 'sugar-free' yogurt ... just get 'low fat.'

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

What I would really like to know from those who do fill kongs with stuff like peanut butter is, how the heck do you wash them? I mean, oily rancid peanut butter inside a rubber toy with a tiny little opening??? Do you put them in the dishwasher?

[Adina P]

I'll have to ask Rosco and Thule...they always volunteer for that job ;-)
Seriously...they don't leave a DROP.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

I put them in the dishwasher. What a great idea for the yogurt. I'll try that.

[Krista, Angel, and Toby]

Angel hates Kongs, stuffed or not, so I've never cleaned them personally, except in the dishwasher, but I do know they make a brush specifically designed to clean Kongs. For some reason they always seem to be in the grooming aisle at Petsmart...go figure.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I like the yogurt idea, Adina - thanks!

Maybe my puppy is different, but regular treats keep Peri quite busy with the kong. If I put in some Little Buddies, that keeps her busy for a while. The key is they must fit in tight so they don't just fall out.

Oh and I discovered this kong bone that you put treats in the side and it is hard for them to get them out. Peri likes that one too.